Millions of Americans took to the streets Saturday in a coordinated series of “No Kings” rallies held in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories to protest what organizers described as growing authoritarianism in the Trump administration. Organizers and coalition groups said the day of action drew events in roughly 2,600–2,700 locations nationwide.
Organizers put the total attendance in the millions — with some groups reporting nearly 7 million participants nationwide — while local tallies showed huge turnouts in major population centers. The nationwide figure comes from organizers’ counts; independent estimates vary by city and are still being compiled.
Large demonstrations filled prominent public spaces in several cities. In Washington, D.C., crowds marched along Pennsylvania Avenue and assembled near the National Mall; in Chicago, demonstrators packed Grant Park and marched through the Loop, with some local reports estimating attendance in the hundreds of thousands. New York City saw a substantial turnout in Times Square and on 7th Avenue. Organizers said events ranged from large mass rallies to smaller community actions in towns and suburbs.
The protests were led and supported by a coalition of progressive organizations, including Indivisible, the ACLU, MoveOn and labor groups, who framed the day as a defense of democratic norms and civil liberties in the face of what they called executive overreach — from federal deployments to aggressive immigration enforcement. Organizers emphasized nonviolence and de-escalation, and many rallies featured speakers, music, and scripted civic actions.
Reactions in Washington were mixed. Democratic leaders and many local officials voiced support for the demonstrators’ right to assemble; within the Republican Party, responses were more muted — apart from comments from President Trump and a handful of allies who condemned the rallies as unpatriotic or extreme. Several outlets noted that some Republican officials largely stayed silent while conservative media framed the movement critically.
Tensions flared in a few places. Organizers and civil-liberties groups warned that federal responses to large demonstrations in past months had sometimes included aggressive tactics; at least one outlet reported sharper law-enforcement responses near federal facilities in cities such as Portland. Nevertheless, the vast majority of Saturday’s events were peaceful, with participants carrying handmade signs, costumes, and banners calling for checks on executive power.
The protests also sparked a social-media storm: the White House and President Trump posted and amplified provocative AI imagery and messaging after the rallies, which organizers and some news outlets criticized as inflammatory. The debates over turnout, tactics, and political effect are expected to continue as analysts and local authorities finalize crowd estimates and file reports.
organisers have already scheduled follow-up calls and local actions, saying Saturday’s turnout shows sustained grassroots energy and pledging continued pressure through voter mobilization, local campaigns, and further demonstrations.
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